Cry Out To God, It's OK.

I was reading the recent Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Group Magazine this afternoon and a brief article from Ryan Donovan grabbed my attention.  Sharing God's Goodness Through Grief is a brief overview of how he dealt with his daughter's birth and short life of 19 days.  As I read this article it brought back a flood of emotions and memories from when I lost my son Peyton and how I dealt with it through God.  Here are a few tid bits from Ryan's article:

1. Grieve Well - In order to do this we must embrace the pain, don't run from it, don't avoid it. If we do this then we are holding back our tears. We must let tears fall as it means feeling all the pain and allowing God to hold you and sustain you in the middle of the grief.

2. Your Grief Isn't Just For Your Sake - Seasons of intense grief give clear windows to your soul. People who see you grieve get to see into your soul. Hold onto Jesus through your pain and you will find hope he promised. You can show others that are struggling how to find hope also.

3. God Really Is Good - God will sustain you through it all. Each day God gives you the strength you need for the day, He gives you people around you to give you strength.

As I read these words I remembered back to Oct. 22, 1999 when Peyton died and feeling God's loving arms embrace me. Was I leaping with joy at the time? No, I wasn't but I also wasn't blaming God for my pain. I was going through it, enduring it, breathing it all the while God was cradling me in His arms preparing me for the journey the rest of it would hold for me.

Now this article also applied to recent events in my life that I have been grieving for, over and over again.  While it wasn't the loss of a person it was a loss none the less and I had to go through the grieving process just the same.  I have hit my knees to cry to God so many times that I have probably worn holes in my pants. Through my prayers God has sent some amazing and wonderful people to help me and my family through these changing seasons and storms in our lives. I have cried on their shoulders and they have wiped my tears.  They have listened to me yell, rant, and rave.  They have also laughed with me.  I have learned a lot over this time period, even though it's not yet over, and I have even been able to help a few through some intense struggles because of my own.  I have even been able to let go of a few things as hard as that was for me to do at first.

Job 2:10   

¹⁰ He told her, "You're talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?" 

Bottom line is this: Through whatever season you are in (whether good or bad) praise and glorify God. God is here to hold you and carry you through the toughest of times.  You don't have to or need to rely on yourself.  So go ahead, cry out, let the tears flow, feel every ounce of the pain and allow God to sustain you!